Government - Unit 5 Lesson 2
Select TWO reasons state constitutions are less stable than the U.S. Constitution.
- State constitutions are more easily changed. - State constitutions deal with details regarding the day-to-day relationships between government and its people.
Which parts of the Constitution provide for state governments?
- The Tenth Amendment - Article VI
concurrent powers (of state and national government)
- build roads - collect taxes - establish courts - spend money for general welfare
Select THREE ways to amend state constitutions.
- by constitutional conventions - by referendum - by a voter-instigated initiative
executive branch
- commute the sentences of, or parole, criminals - propose the state budget - executive authority is delegated among elected officers - oversee the state police and the National Guard - line-item veto power - shapes public opinion to support favored policy agenda - powers of appointment and removal - responsibility to faithfully execute the laws - call a special session of the legislature
powers exclusive to national government
- establish and army and navy - make treaties and conduct foreign policy
powers exclusive to state government
- establish local governments - issue licenses - regulate intrastate trade
judicial branch
- includes justice of the peace, magistrates, judges, and supreme court justices - may be appointed by the governor, chosen by the legislature, or elected by the voters - consider civil cases, misdemeanors, small claims, and probate problems; refers cases with federal questions to the U.S. Supreme Court
legislative branch
- police power to protect and promote the public's health, safety, morals, and welfare - remove executive officers or judges through the impeachment process - confirms appointments for office and appoints some executive officeholders - branch whose members represent equal segments of the population
Place the state courts in their hierarchical order, beginning with the highest court.
1) Supreme Court 2) appellate courts 3) trial court 4) municipal court 5) magistrate courts OR 6) justice courts
What did the 1964 Reynolds v. Sims ruling decide?
Representation in legislatures should be based on equal population.
a nonbinding question that is put on the ballot to see what voters think of it
advisory referendum
hierarchically located between the trial court and the state supreme court
appellate court
shared powers
concurrent powers
granted solely either to the national government or the states
exclusive powers
a process whereby voters may petition for a law or amendment to be placed on the ballot
initiative
Much of a state's actual business is conducted by ____.
joint committees
power of the governor to reject portions of a bill while retaining the other portions
line-item veto
power to protect and promote the public health, safety, and welfare
police power
a political device by which voters may remove a public official from office
recall
not given to the national government, but kept by the states
reserved powers